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ST. PAUL, Minn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--As part of its ongoing program to license to the dental industry 3M's
patented technology that enables the coloring of ceramic-based dental
restorations, and to protect its technology against unlicensed users, 3M
has filed two patent infringement lawsuits in Düsseldorf, Germany.

The first lawsuit is against Metoxit AG, and alleges infringement of
3M’s patent rights by coloring liquids sold under the brands Z-CADTM
FlowPenTM and Z-CADTM Liquid HD, as well as
zirconia CAD/CAM blocks sold under the brand Z-CADTM.

The second lawsuit is against White Peaks Dental Systems GmbH & Co. KG
and alleges infringement of 3M’s patent rights by coloring liquids sold
under the brands CopranColorTM, CopranUltra-T ColorTM
and MonolithColorTM, as well as zirconia CAD/CAM blocks sold
under the Copran ZrTM brand.

3M’s patented technology enables the coloring of unshaded ceramics by
color-matching dental restorations to the natural color of patients’
teeth. 3M has licensed its patents to much of the dental industry,
including Vita Zahnfabrik H. Rauter GmbH & Co. KG, and Vident, Inc.,
Dentsply Prosthetics U.S. LLC and Dentsply International Inc.,
Zirkonzahn GmbH, Wieland Dental + Technik GmbH & Co. KG, and Ivoclar
Vivadent AG. Through these licensees, patients around the world enjoy
the benefits of dental restorations matching the natural color of their
teeth. 3M remains open to licensing this technology to other interested
parties.

3M is committed to improving oral care through continuous R&D
investments. The company's dental division, 3M ESPE, has been recognized
as the most innovative dental company for the past eight years by the
Anaheim Group. This distinction is awarded based on the number of patent
filings, 510k clearances and new product introductions.

About 3M

3M captures the spark of new ideas and transforms them into thousands of
ingenious products. Our culture of creative collaboration inspires a
never-ending stream of powerful technologies that make life better. 3M
is the innovation company that never stops inventing. With $30 billion
in sales, 3M employs 88,000 people worldwide and has operations in more
than 70 countries. For more information, visit www.3M.com
or follow @3MNews
on Twitter.